Page 30 of Unbearable Attraction
"Why?" The question came out as barely audible, loaded with vulnerability she was trying to hide behind anger. "Why does it matter? We barely know each other."
"Because you're brave and brilliant and stubborn as hell," he said roughly. "Because you face down ancient spirits without flinching and make terrible coffee and argue with me like Iactually have a brain in my head. Because every time I look at you, I remember what it feels like to want something more than just surviving another day."
The confession was more honest than either of them had been prepared for. Leenah's expression cycled through surprise, uncertainty, and something that might have been longing before settling back into defensive anger.
"That's not fair," she said quietly.
"What's not fair?"
"Saying things like that when you're trying to change my mind about something important." Her voice carried a tremor that suggested his words had affected her more than she wanted to admit. "That's emotional manipulation."
"No, that's honesty." He reached for her, his hands settling on her shoulders despite her obvious tension. "Something you might try sometime."
"I am being honest."
"Are you? Because it seems to me like you're planning this ritual alone because you're scared of what might happen if you let someone else matter enough to influence your decisions."
The accusation struck home with enough force that he saw her flinch. "That's not... I'm not scared."
"Then trust me," he said simply. "Trust me enough to tell me what you're planning and let me help."
"I can't." The words came out broken, carrying the weight of years of disappointment and abandonment. "Every time I've trusted someone with something important, they've either tried to control me or they've left when things got complicated."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"You say that now." Her blue eyes held the kind of pain that came from being let down too many times. "But what happens when you realize that caring about me means accepting choicesyou hate? What happens when protecting me conflicts with doing what's right?"
The questions revealed depths of hurt he'd only glimpsed before, wounds left by people who'd treated her gifts like burdens and her independence like defiance. Before he could find words that might reassure her, she was pulling away from his touch.
"I need you to leave," she said, her voice steady despite the tears threatening in her eyes. "I need to finish what I started."
"Leenah—"
"Please." The single word carried enough raw emotion to stop his protest. "Just... please go."
But as he reached for the door handle, something snapped inside him. The thought of walking away while she prepared to risk everything alone, the memory of all the people he'd failed to save because he hadn't fought hard enough to keep them safe, finally overwhelmed his respect for her autonomy.
He turned back, crossed the room in three quick strides, and pulled her into his arms.
The kiss was desperate and angry and full of everything they'd been dancing around for days. Her initial resistance melted into response that was just as fierce, just as needy, her hands fisting in his shirt while his arms tightened around her waist.
When they finally broke apart, the air between them crackled with new tension.
"That changes nothing," she said, but her voice lacked conviction.
"It changes everything," he replied roughly. "And you know it."
For a moment, he thought she might agree, might finally admit that whatever was building between them was worth more than her fierce independence. But then her expressionshuttered, walls slamming back into place with almost audible finality.
"Get out," she said quietly. "And don't come back until you can respect my right to make my own choices."
Luka left because staying would only make things worse, but the taste of her kiss and the memory of her response followed him through the cold November night. As he walked back to his workshop, one realization cut through his anger and frustration with devastating clarity.
His fear of losing her was making him act exactly like the controlling family members who'd driven her away before. The very people whose mistakes he'd sworn not to repeat.
If he wanted to keep her, he was going to have to find a way to care about her without trying to cage her.
The question was whether he was strong enough to love someone and let them go at the same time.
